A Name Change Request

"I want Ogalatia (O-ga-la-tay-ah) to be my name.  I don't love Alexis or Lexie or Alexis Kate Riser.  Ogalatia is Spanish for Alexis"

-Alexis Kate Riser on November 2, 2013

Sibling Rivalry

This is new territory for me.  I find myself torn between stepping in to teach and letting them work it out for themselves.   How do you deal with sibling rivalry in your house and why do you do it that way? 

Costume Conversation

Alexis-  I don't want to be a bunny for Halloween, I want to be a LION.
Jenn-  We don't have a Lion costume, you can be a Lion next year

Pause

Alexis-  HEY!!  I'm thinking about we could buy a Lion costume.  I want to be a Lion for Christmas.  I want to be a Christmas Lion.

8 Month Birthday

8 Months

This month has passed too quickly!  We are settling down in the back-to-school/almost Fall routine.  Cameron has made great physical strides this month.  He is a full time crawler in proper crawling form.  September 1st he began to pull up.  He had it mastered by September 2nd.  Pulling up and sitting down over and over again.  So happy with himself, too!

 Cameron still sleeps from 8pm-8am.  On occasion I put him down a bit early.  He naps from 10/10:15-12pm and 1:45-4pm. Later last week it was a bit rough with the naps.  He decided he'd try to strike.  For two days during the afternoon nap he cried for about an hour.  Thankfully he is not the strong willed one.  He caught on quickly and has resumed napping peacefully. 

I dropped his before nap feeding this month, so he nurses four times a day.  8am, 12pm, 4pm and 8pm.  He eats solids three times a day.  8:30am- Oatmeal, 12:30pm a fruit or vegetable and rice or oatmeal, 5pm a vegetable and rice or oatmeal.  This month we added cheerios, chunks of bananas (instead of puree), and whole milk yogurt.  It has taken his system 2 weeks to get used to the yogurt.  He loves yogurt!  His only consistent sign right now is "more" and of course it is because he wants more food and FASTER!

My baby is growing up and I'm not sure how I feel about that.  We have begun to discipline regularly at the table.  Cameron loves to bang on his tray and watch the cheerios or puffs fly around.   I have to get stern with him and it is hard sometimes.  He just sits there and smiles back. 

Blue eyes

Insisted on bringing a bat to the nursing session

Family Shot at the last "Sounds of Summer"  Aug. 2013

AWANA

Alexis started AWANA at a local church two weeks ago.  Last week she received her Cubbie vest, bag, and book.  She's a little unfocused in the video above, but overall is doing very well.  We are so proud of her!
This weeks verse is Romans 3:23  "All have sinned"  We talked about how "all" means everybody.  She was especially interested in how her Mommy and Daddy have sinned.   

7 Month Birthday

Likes:  Cameron is one of the easiest going babies I know.  He is content in most situations.  He has been crawling since 6 months and one week old.  His favorite crawl is similar to the army crawl.  He is working to get up on his knees to master the regular crawl.  He likes to be around Mommy, Daddy and Alexis.  He follows us up and down the hall.
When his sister comes in the room his whole body responds in excitement.  That's pretty neat.
He likes to nurse, in fact, when he knows it is time, he practically attacks me to get to the milk.
Cameron does very well in child care situations so far.  We are at the YMCA a few mornings a week,  the church nursery on Sunday, and have a babysitter at the house 3-4 times a month.   He enjoys other babies, especially now that he can get to them on his own.

Dislikes: Anyone who's stressed out.  Alexis was crying with her babysitter recently and he joined right in.  He is emotionally sensitive.  The other day Josh was playing the "fast/slow" game in the car.  Alexis loves going fast and I always pretend to not like it by screaming.  It's a big production...anyway- Cameron heard me screaming and burst out in tears with loud crying.  We're on a mission to toughen him up :)
Last week we found out he is not a fan of the car wash. 

Sleeping: Cameron sleeps from 8pm-8am all the way through.  Sometimes he wakes at 7:30 or so, but I wait to get him until 8 because I need that time ALONE!  He naps from 10:15am-11:45/12:00 and 1:45-4:30.

Eating:  He nurses five times a day.  8am, 12pm, 2pm, 5pm, and 8pm.  He eats solids three times a day.  8:30am- Oatmeal, 12:30pm a fruit or vegetable and rice or oatmeal, 5:30 rice or oatmeal.  After meals I offer puffs or baby mum-mums.  He also gets those treats if we are eating out.  They are a great time filler!  He has liked everything so far.

Playing:  Cameron spends a lot of time in the high chair, the jumparoo, the play pen, and on the floor in the living room.  I mentioned before that he is crawling.  It is fun to put him in the middle of the living room and watch him make a choice on what he wants to play with.  We have a lot of baby toys, but it seems he will most often head for the vents or the tv cabinet.  Alexis has an unloaded chick-fil-a card which he also enjoys chewing on.

Signing- Cameron has signed "eat" and "dog" so far.  He is close to getting "more".  I sign every chance I get.  The majority are at the table while he is eating.  Alexis enjoys teaching him the signs and asking me "how do you say it with your hands, Mommy?"

Talking-  For the most part he is a quiet baby.  He laughs more than he talks, which is really fun.  Just before seven months he said "bye-bye"  to our three year old friend, Addison and her 21month old brother, Caleb.  I'm gonna call that his first word.

Updated Q &A with Alexis

Favorite Fruit?  Cauliflower
Snack?  Goldfish
Animal?  A lion
Outfit?  A panda outfit
TV Show?  Daniel Tigers
Place to go?  Chick-Fil-A
Game?  Musical Chairs.  We were gonna play that at church this week!
Color?  Purple
Toy?  Blocks.  I like to build with blocks
Book? Mickey Mouse
Favorite thing to do with Mommy and Daddy?  Reading books
What are you going to be when you grow up?  I think I'm gonna be able to pick up Addison!
What about a job?  I'm gonna put the people in jail because they break the law.
Who's going to be your husband?  Grandpa
What kind of car will you drive?  I will drive a brown car.  It's name will be called JaFe.
Where are you going to live?  Georgia
What do you want for Christmas?  I want a green ball. A little one.  And, and, and I want to have batteries for the light in my room.

Four Months Old

Likes: The high chair!  Cameron joins us at the table for meals like a big boy.  We used to slide him up in the rock and play, but we noticed he didn't love laying on his back anymore.  Next month he gets to eat some rice cereal. 
Cameron has mastered the jumping part of the jump-a-roo.  He loves the bright colored animals and is content to watch them for a while. 
Sometimes after dinner we have a dance party with Lexie's school music.  Cameron loves the hopping part of the hop-hop-hippty-hop song.  
Now I will state the obvious: he likes to nurse.

Dislikes: Loud noises.  He is scared of Will's bark and Lexie's scream.  Also, he doesn't like sudden movements.  We're working on it.

Sleeping: Cameron is a very good sleeper, still.  He is swaddled with one arm out.  Occasionally, I will leave both out, but he sleeps better with one in and one out.
 He sleeps at night from 8pm-7:30am.  I still wake him at 10:30pm to squeeze another feeding in. He takes two good naps a day.  The third nap is a fight.  The first and best nap is from 8:45/9:15-11am, unless it is Sunday.  The next nap is from 1-2:30 or 3ish.  The last nap from 4-5.
I no longer have the option of putting him in the swing because he weighs too much. He does not sleep on the go, which is a challenge because we are stuck at home.  You all know I HATE that.  I'm in the process of figuring out what I should do.

Eating:  He nurses six times a day. These are usually the times: 7:30/7:45am, 11:00am, 2:30/3pm, 6pm, 8pm, and 10:30pm.  In a couple months I plan to drop the 10:30 feeding.  I'm too scared to do it right now because I worry he won't sleep through the night. He is gaining well.  Last week he weighed in at 18lbs 10 ozs. 

Playing: During one awake time a day (usually the early morning) I rotate Cameron through the baby things we have.  He usually starts with the jump-a-roo because I know he has his best energy right after waking.  Then we move on to the play mat, where he plays with the animals above him.  After that I set him in the Bumbo to sing songs and/or read books.   The other awake times are spent in the car, dropping off/picking up Alexis, going on walks to the park, grocery shopping, etc...

Signing- We are working on mommy, milk, all done, up, and more.  I've been singing lots of songs with hand motions, thinking that it will help him learn to watch the hands. 

Bouncing!

Last night was Cameron's first time in the baby jumperoo. He cared most about looking at the bright colors on the side panels.  We are hoping for as many hours of entertainment with him as we got with Alexis!

Parent's Day Out

The note she gets each day

Learning about April weather

Also learning to color inside the lines

Cute, but I'm sure she had lots of help :)

Alexis has been attending a Parent's Day Out program through a local church for almost two years.  She started one day a week in the baby room (0-2years)  when she was 12 months old.  This year she moved up to the two year old room and attends two days a week from 9-11:45 am.  Alexis is particularly fond of one of her teachers, Mrs. Sohee.   Mrs. Sohee is a Korean lady who moved here 22 years ago. The two of them have a cute bond. 
On Tuesday Alexis got in trouble for breaking the crayons.  This is her first time really getting in trouble at school.  Mrs. Sohee pulled Alexis aside to talk to her about the incident.  She also talked to me when I came to pick her up that day.  Alexis and I talked about it on the way home.  I asked her how it felt to have Mrs. Sohee talk to her about the mistake she made.  She said "I felt sad, Mommy".  That evening we all talked about it at the dinner table, deciding that the best thing to do would be to return some new crayons.
Today Alexis returned to school with three of her own unbroken crayons.  She was so excited to say she was sorry!  So excited that she zoomed past the teacher passing out hand sanitizer and straight up to her classroom into Mrs. Sohee's arms. I'm hoping the whole incident made a lasting impression on her.   We shall see...

Q&A with Alexis

 Last week I sat down with Alexis to ask some questions and get some answers.  Here they are:

Favorite Fruit?  Banana
Snack?  Goldfish
Animal?  Puppy
Outfit?  A DUKE outfit!!!
TV Show?  Super Why
Place to go?  To the zoo
Game?  It's Duke.
Color?  Orange (she was holding an orange crayon at the time)
Toy?  Dolls.  I like to take care of them
Book?  A library book about a cat.
Favorite thing to do with Mommy and Daddy?  Play with balls.

What are you going to be when you grow up?  An elephant
What about a job?  Work on the computer
Who's going to be your husband?  Grandpa!
What kind of car will you drive?  Daddy's car
Where are you going to live?  North Carolina
What do you want for Christmas?  A sucker

Three Month Birthday- One Day Early

Three Months Old!

Play dates are fun!

What?

 All swaddled up!

First trip to the Zoo

Cameron is no longer a newborn!  Fourth Trimester is over!  Can you tell I'm excited?  Actually, the newborn phase was not nearly as horrible as I anticipated.  Cameron continues to be a affectionate, calm and smiley.  Even during his fussy times he manages to laugh and smile in between crying.  He makes the funniest sounds that are sometimes even a surprise to him.  His eyes are still blue and we think that will stick.  Some of his hair has fallen out, but that's okay because new hair is coming in!  He is drooling like crazy.  It's time to break out the bibs!

Likes:  Like all babies he likes to be held.  Not only does he like to be held, but he also likes to hold you back.  One of his arms is often clutching me. It's so adorable.
Before putting him down for naps and bed I  sing "Jesus loves me" and "Jesus loves the little children"  Cameron sings and coos along with me.  I don't typically enjoy holding babies, but it's hard to put him down when he's being so cute!  I'm beginning to understand why some parents give in to their children :)  

Dislikes:  Being poopy, but who does?  Also, sitting still to nurse.  He nurses best in a dark room with no noise. That never happens.

Sleeping: Cameron is a very good sleeper, still.  He continues to be swaddled.  He is beginning to break out of it, but I am fighting that one as long as I can!
 He sleeps at night from 8pm-7am, although, I wake him at 10:30pm to squeeze another feeding in. Sometimes he wakes up at 5 or 6 am.  I let him cry or use the pacifier.  He goes back to sleep until 7.   He takes 4 naps a day.. 8:15-10:30, 11:45-2, 3-5, and sometimes a short one around 6:30.
If I get him down before he's over tired then he goes down without a fuss.  If he's overstimulated or overtired there is some crying involved.  If it's been a busy day out, I usually swaddle him up and put him in the swing. 

Eating:  He nurses six times a day. These are usually the times: 7am, 10:30am, 2pm, 5pm, 8pm, and 10:30pm.  I am nursing instead of bottle feeding at the 10:30 feeding.  It's working out great!

Playing:  Cameron has a favorite book! The title is: Bubbles in the Bathroom.  I can tell he likes it because he is much more focused than some of the other books we read.  I try to follow the author, Mem Fox's advice by reading three books a day.  One favorite, one familiar, and one new.  That's the goal.  Cameron is the second child - We don't always hit it.
In the last week Cameron has been rolling over more and more.  I wouldn't say he has mastered the task, but I don't expect it since that is more of  a four month milestone.  He has just begun to do the baby ab exercises where they try to sit up a bit.  We think he has athletic tendencies :)   I am going to guess that he will be crawling by five months because when we put him in tummy time he tries so hard to move and often moves a couple inches forward. We'll see if I'm right.
I bought a play mat for $8 at the local consignment shop.  He really enjoys looking at the faces of the animals and grabbing them down to put in his mouth.  Speaking of grabbing- my head hurts because he likes to grab chunks of my hair.


Signing- I started this week.  Mommy, Milk, and More.
I remember from Alexis is was very, very slow going at first.  She didn't sign back to me until 8 months!  BUT, by 12 months it had really paid off.  She was signing/speaking over 20 word.  It continues to show in her speech today.
Sooooooo, I spend my days repeating and repeating and repeating.  Sometimes I get tired of hearing myself talk, seriously.   

Two Months Old

 Cameron's been with us two months!  Time is flying by...too fast sometimes.  It's hard to believe we only have ten more months of babyhood to go.  Happy two months!

Likes: I am happy to report he finally likes bath time.  His favorite place is the baby Bjorn carrier.  He also likes and soaks up any attention he gets...especially from his sister!

Dislikes:  Being hungry and going to sleep for the night.  He is very fussy while trying to put himself to sleep at night.  It's hard for him to settle.  I could feed him to sleep, but I'm trying hard to start out the right way so we don't have to break habits later.

Sleeping: Cameron is a very good sleeper, so far.  He is sleeping from 9pm-6:30/7am straight through!  He takes 4-5 naps a day about two hours each.  Add that up and you will see he's not awake much.

Eating:  He nurses six times a day. These are usually the times: 7am, 10am, 1pm, 3:30pm, 6pm, and 8:30pm.  I am pumping at 10:30 and desperately trying to get him to take a bottle then.  He's been sucking down an ounce, but it is VERY difficult to wake him.  I am committed to trying for another week and six days.

Playing: He is doing well with tummy time and has had the occasional roll over from tummy to back.  My friend Kelley says big babies roll early cause they see the crumbs and have to go after them :)  She's probably right. 
He's pretty strong. Constantly kicking and punching.  After putting him down to sleep I often find him in another spot of the crib.  We see lots and lots of smiles from this one.  It's really fun!

Last Snow?

This has been the second longest winter of my life.  30.something inches are recorded so far this year.  I hope that's all. 

Week Three

We survived!!!!!  One hour into Monday erased all my judgement for those stay at home moms in Atlanta who had full time nannies.  Meeting the needs of two kids alone is hard work! 

Nurse Carol came to save the day late Monday morning.  I was not at all surprised to find that Cameron had grown to a hefty 10 pounds 4 ounces.  It was a visit for Cameron, but Alexis was the main topic of conversation.  Nurse Carol was full of suggestions and encouragement on life with two!

On Tuesday I was greeted by my friend Kelly who showed up to take Alexis to school and come back for adult conversation. That night we were surprised with dinner company from Kelley, Wade, and their two little kids!

Wednesday we woke up to four inches of snow.  NOT my favorite, especially considering it meant we had to cancel our play date.  My disappointment resulted in a morning of horrible parenting.  That's okay because Kelly and the crew came to our rescue with company.

Thursday Alexis was picked up again.  I put every ounce of energy into getting Cameron and I ready for a trip to Target where I spent waaaaaay too much money on diapers and wipes.  I now have some motivation to potty train :) Later this afternoon I began day one of The 30 Day Shred.  I wet my pants.  Thank you, Cameron.

Friday I finally ventured out into the world with the two kids!  I was pretty excited about that.  Alexis attended her weekly YMCA preschool readiness class.  An hour later I picked her up and we had an uneventful trip to Chick-fil-a.  That place is a gift from God.  He knew I could not mother two children without a Chick-fil-a.

Here are some pictures from our week:

Pre-Bath

Post-Bath.  He insists on making eye contact almost every waking moment!

Add caption

Alexis shares her baby elephant

She wants Cameron to play with her sooo bad!

So, she settles for reading a book while he sleeps

Please draw your attention to the MAN doing three things at once

A sucker treat- for being the big helper of the week.